Biochar Is Our Only Hope, Says James Lovelock
Ξ February 16th, 2009 | → 5 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, Technology, Wine News |
It is not my habit to sound the alarm but my readership ought to be made aware of an important update to an earlier post, from January 5th, 2009, titled Carbon Sequestration In Vineyard Soils. In that piece I stressed the fundamental importance of biochar, that it become the new practical referent, beyond the exploitable pseudo-concepts of ‘green’ and ‘carbon footprint’, two of the most cynical notions to come our way in the long, dismal history of commercial reconfigurations of our impending environmental catastrophe.
In the words of James Lovelock, as recorded by the January 23 issue of the New Scientist,
“Most of the ‘green’ stuff is verging on a gigantic scam. Carbon trading, with its huge government subsidies, is just what finance and industry wanted.”
Biochar is not a seductive, poetic word. It is not likely to find its way into a contemporary rap lyric. Yet the word, biochar, must be repeated. A viral, web-based acceleration of its importance must be made. I do my marginal part here.
And I encourage others to pass the Mr. Lovelock’s words along:
“There is one way we could save ourselves and that is through the massive burial of charcoal. It would mean farmers turning all their agricultural waste – which contains carbon that the plants have spent the summer sequestering – into non-biodegradable charcoal, and burying it in the soil. Then you can start shifting really hefty quantities of carbon out of the system and pull the CO2 down quite fast.”
As a side note, biodynamics is of no consequence here, or organic farming. Too little, too late. As far as I can tell, Rudolf Steiner was a deficient seer, a poor prognosticator. He did not envision, because of his otherworldly, metaphysical obsession, that this world might die.
I eagerly await notice from US wineries undertaking a biochar program. Please write this space for a wider promotion of your efforts.
For further reading visit the International Biochar Initiative.
Special thanks to Peter Schmidt of Domaine Mythopia who brought to my attention to Mr. Lovelock’s observations.
Admin
